Sensational videos of amusement park disasters can be found on many video sharing websites. There are also numerous sites that take pleasure in listing the worst, most graphic descriptions of accidents possible. The reality is that most visitors to amusement parks have a risk factor of less than .003% that they will be involved in an accident and the numbers for fatalities are too small to calculate. By following park rules, observing safety features on rides, and taking precautions against heat and exhaustion-relate illnesses, most people can reduce their risks even further.

One overlooked source of accidents is character costumes. Employees in costume are more likely to be involved in a Disney World accident than most guests. This is due to the weight, material, and impaired vision and hearing of many costumes. Disney is one of the parks that voluntarily reports incidents and accidents. In 2005 they had 773 employee injuries while in costume. Disney employs performers to portray nearly 300 different characters at their Orlando parks. More than a third of these injuries were due to the costume damaging the shoulders, head, or neck of the performer. Another 14% were due to guests abusing the character, such as pushing or hitting the actor. Performers also experienced bruises, skin rashes, and heat-related issues while in costume. Disney has since modified their costume guidelines to cut back on risk of injury to performers in character.